Recessed lighting fixtures are often installed in ceiling structures to direct light down into a space. Such lighting fixtures can have the effect of making the associated space appear larger than it actually is. For example, recessed ceiling lighting fixtures can give the sense of a higher ceiling.
In ceiling applications, the fixtures and lighting elements are typically installed above the ceiling, and a reflector or other light-directing structure can extend through an opening in the ceiling to direct light down into the space. To provide a desired finish it is desirable that the reflector or other light-directing structure be installed flush with the ceiling surface. For new construction and retrofit applications, ceiling thicknesses can vary widely.
Adjustable lighting fixtures have been developed to accommodate different ceiling thicknesses found in older buildings and new architectural elements. For example, some adjustment mechanisms accommodate differing ceiling thicknesses by allowing the reflector or other light directing structure to be extended down into the ceiling opening while retaining the lighting element fixed with respect to the top surface of the ceiling. This enables the bottom edge of the reflector or other light directing structure to fit flush with the bottom surface of the ceiling. But changing the distance from the bottom of the ceiling surface to the front edge of the light element can have an adverse effect on the lighting levels from the fixtures. Thus, the finished lighting levels may differ from the levels that were assumed by the lighting designer. This is because lighting simulations, which are increasingly used by room designers, are based on light output models which assume the light to be a fixed distance from the bottom surface of the ceiling. Current adjustability arrangements, therefore, can have an undesirable impact on certain room lighting levels.
It would be desirable to provide a lighting fixture incorporating an adjustment assembly that accommodates a variety of different ceiling thicknesses while also maintaining a constant distance between the bottom surface of the ceiling and the front edge of the lighting element in order to provide final lighting levels in the room that are consistent with a designer's light output models. Such an adjustment assembly should be easy for a user to install and adjust.